Beware heavy school bags

By admin

18 October 2009

Children carrying heavy loads of books in badly designed school bags run the risk of developing back trouble, according to the British charity organisation BackCare. It says as many as 80 per cent of schoolchildren carry too much weight in poorly designed bags and in the most harmful way: over one shoulder. Children who carry heavy bags for long periods increase their chances of suffering back trouble later in life, BackCare chief executive officer Sash Newman says. She encourages parents to make sure children carry their bags correctly. The bags shouldn’t weigh more than 10 per cent of the child’s weight and must be worn over both shoulders so the weight is evenly distributed across the back.

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